Councilmember Curren Price will host during the week of Nov. 9, the 20th Annual Senior Appreciation Luncheon treating local neighbors to a free meal and care package which they can enjoy from the comfort of home.

Each year Councilman Price organizes a senior luncheon for more than 1,000 neighbors at the Los Angeles Convention Center filled with tasty food, dancing and live entertainment. To ensure the local senior community remains safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Councilmember Price decided to take this beloved community event on the road in 2020 and have thousands of meals with treats delivered safely. 

Older adults who live in District 9 and are 65 years and older can call Councilman Price’s District Office at (323) 846-2651 to participate in this celebration. Please see the flyer below and reserve your spot before Oct. 21. 

“The Senior community is the glue that holds us all together because they are the eyes, ears and soul of our neighborhoods,” added Councilmember Price. “Our older adults are integral to moving South LA forward, and together we can and will enrich the quality of life for generations to come.”

On Sept. 19, Councilman Curren Price joined President/CEO Charlene Dimas-Peinado of Wellnest for a sneak peak of The Nest on Florence, a new 50-unit housing development for young men and women and their families who are at-risk for homelessness or have become homeless, as well as experiencing a mental health issue. 

Construction of the five-story permanent supportive housing complex, which will include 34 studios and 16 one-bedrooms, a recreation area, community room, laundry facilities, and other amenities, is currently underway thanks to $12 million from Measure HHH and Measure H tax dollars. 

The most recent homelessness count reports there are more than 400 homeless youth in CD 9, which includes Transitional Age Youth (young adults between the ages of 18 and 24), unaccompanied minors and children in young families.

“These are vulnerable people who are at a crossroads where support and understanding could make a huge difference in the direction their lives will go, and they are the types of young adults and families that The Nest on Florence is dedicated to serve,” said Councilmember Price. “At The Nest, these young men and women will find refuge, an array of supportive services and opportunities that can lead to newfound independence, stability and a more promising future.”

When complete, The Nest will offer a variety of wrap-around services onsite such as mental health, education and job training, addiction and recovery services, legal issues and more. 

The Nest on Florence, located at 410 E. Florence Ave., is expected to open its doors within the next 18 months joining dozens of housing projects that will be bringing much-needed relief to working families and help reduce the homeless population in CD 9. More than 2,000 units of affordable and permanent supportive housing units have been identified within CD9. This includes nearly 1,600 units currently in the pipeline and scheduled for completion within the next two to three years.

On Sept. 18, the Office of Councilman Curren Price, in partnership with the Coalition for Responsible Community Development and Worldwide Produce, were able to answer the need of the neighbors in the distribution of hundreds of FREE produce boxes at the VCN YouthSource Center (1006 E. 28th St.) in District 9.  

If you are a local family in need of resources, contact Councilman Price's District Office at (323) 846-2651.

During a status conference on Sept. 17, Councilmember Curren Price updated U.S. District Judge David Carter on his plans to provide shelter for an estimated 482 people living within 500 feet of the freeway in District 9. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other risk factors such as exposure to carcinogens, lead and being hit by cars, Judge Carter ordered last May that the City of LA must relocate 6,000 homeless individuals living near freeways by June 2021. 

Specific to District 9, Councilmember Price has developed a strategy that is expected to provide 750 beds for individuals experiencing homeless currently living along the 110 freeway from Manchester to the I-10 by the summer of 2021.

Below are a few highlights shared this week:

• A project along 68th Street and Avalon Boulevard, spearheaded by Volunteers of America, St. John’s Well Child & Family Center and with support from the City, is opening its first phase of 100 beds with a clinic onsite very soon. Additional phases will include another 250 plus beds, laundry facilities, as well as storage space and safe parking.

• A second “A Bridge Home” site, which will house 15 families, will also open next month in October and will include comprehensive cleanup services for the neighborhood.

• Earlier this week, HOPICS (Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System) launched its “Street to Home” pilot rapid re-housing project in CD 9 and was successfully able to house the first 13 people. Councilman Price’s Office will continue to work with the service provider to ensure they remain on track to house 60 individuals by the end of October. “Street to Home” aims to move entire homeless encampments into apartment units provided the residents agree to the housing opportunity.

The Department of Recreation and Parks are bringing the parks to LA residents through RecConnectLA where you can stay active, connected and maintain healthy lives with virtual workouts while we are all Safer at Home! 

On Sept. 16, during an early morning workout session, Councilmember Curren Price joined the RecConnect team at South Park in District 9 to kick off a 10-episode fitness series that will be featured on LA Cityview Channel 35. 

Livestream classes are FREE and available via Zoom, as well as on-demand videos from fitness to wellness, enrichment and entertainment for the kids, including virtual visits to museums and the LA Zoo.

Registration is required. For a list of online videos, resources and more information click here. 

On Sept. 13, in a display of community, local District 9 neighbors joined forces to organize a clean-up to benefit their Trinity and 22nd streets neighborhood.

Special thank you to: Nicolas Gomez, Neftali Chavez, Luz Maria Castellanos and Lucelva Zarate for leading the change across South Los Angeles by helping to improve the quality of life for CD 9 residents. Their willingness to personally remove litter and trash from streets and sidewalks, and efforts to get neighbors to properly dispose of large bulky items, makes this dream team District 9 Clean & Green Ambassadors.

With more people staying home, the accumulation of unwanted items can begin to pile up but the City of Los Angeles has a resource available to everyone to use to help maintain a clean and safe environment for our families. Remember, keeping South LA clean is everybody’s responsibility. Download the MyLA311 app or dial 3-1-1 to report bulky-item pick up, illegal dumping and access other City services for FREE. Click here for more information.

More than 150 students and their families attended a special backpack giveaway on Sept. 12 at Pueblo del Rio public housing development where they received supplies and other essentials. 

The event for back-to-school had the participation of Councilmember Curren Price and partners, including Soledad Enrichment Action (SEA), Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD), Volunteers of America, The Los Angeles Police Department Community Safety Partnership (CSP), and the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Volunteers handed out dental and school supplies, ice cream and other resources to area children. 

If you live in District 9 and are in need of resources, please call Councilman Price’s District Office at (323) 846-2651. 

Council District 9 is committed to fixing damaged sidewalks and local neighbor Manuel Aldana is now reaping the benefits of a recent sidewalk repair near his home on San Pedro and 28th Streets. If you are interested in having your sidewalk analyzed for repairs, please contact Councilman Curren Price’s District Office at (323) 846-2651. For more information on Safe Sidewalks LA, you can also visit https://safesidewalks.lacity.org or call 3-1-1.

To combat the housing affordability crisis in his District, Councilmember Curren Price continues to expand the production of Affordable Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) with nearly 2,000 units identified to support working families and reduce the homeless population in CD 9.

Currently, there are 1,030 units of affordable housing and another 872 units dedicated to housing homeless individuals with wrap-around supportive services coming down the construction pipeline and expected to be completed by 2023.

“We are facing a housing crisis like never seen before in the history of Los Angeles,” added Councilmember Price. “I am committed to ensuring that all of my constituents have a safe place to call home. Already, CD 9 is among one of the districts with the highest stock of affordable housing in the City.”

To learn more about how District 9 is addressing one of the most significant humanitarian crises of our time, which includes the development of temporary and permanent housing, click on the image below to watch our Homeless Housing Solutions in CD 9 video. 

During a virtual meeting on Sept. 9, Councilmember Curren Price engaged with members of his Homelessness Advisory Committee and shared updates on the number one issue affecting District 9. 

The goal of the online event was to present the current efforts being done within CD 9 to bring relief to the crisis, as well as gain insights and suggestions from individuals who have their boots on the ground. Councilman Price informed members of the advisory board that there are more 2,000​ ​units of Affordable and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units that have been identified within the Ninth District. This includes more than ​1,500 ​units currently in the pipeline and scheduled for completion within the next two to three years.

The Wednesday evening meeting included a special presentation by Toni White, Outreach Coordinator for Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS), who provided the group with specific solutions to help get people off of the streets, as well as sharing programming that has been able to cut through the red tape to allow for individuals to be put on the fast-track to housing.

“Linking this group of dynamic individuals together will not only strengthen our strategy to combat the homeless crisis, but it allows us to gain insights that may have otherwise not been on our radar,” added Councilman Price. “ We have to be creative and we must consider every option on the table to provide resources and help for people suffering from the condition of homelessness.”